In Memorium

What evil wrought the twisted brier
causing him to open fire
to slaughter hearts of innocents
the sweetest gifts of angels sent
among us
to remind us of…
what’s essential
what is love

twisted mind
whose wielded ‘right’
expressed his hate
with gun of might
and snuffed them out
the madness toll
killed them twice, crushed the soul

put out the moon
pull down the stars
wrap the babe’s
unsightly scars
make a shroud of blackened sky
so cold the slab
on which they lie
cancel Christmas
for all time
leave tears,
for this, the greatest crime,
to wash their wounds
of powder blast,
then dress them well, for this, their last
sleigh ride to Santa’s sombred cave
then send them to their silent grave.

copyright Niamh Clune 2012

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About Niamh Clune Plum Tree Books

DR. NIAMH CLUNE is the author of several children's books and the Skyla McFee series: Orange Petals in a Storm and Exaltation of a Lily. She is also the author of The Coming of the Feminine Christ: a ground-breaking spiritual psychology. Niamh received her Ph.D. from Surrey University on Acquiring Wisdom Through The Imagination and specialises in The Imaginal Mind and how the inborn, innate wisdom, hidden in the soul informs our daily lives and stories. Niamh is the CEO and founder of Plum Tree Books Ltd, dedicated to producing beautiful paperback, hardback and kindle children's books. Plum Tree Books also specialises in poetry, art books and unusual novels. For more information and the online store go HERE http://www.dr-nanaplum-amazingbooksforchildren.com/. Niamh’s Amazon page is http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B004VRSQ1I

17 comments on “In Memorium”

I love your poem Niamh. It inspired me to write one myself. Part of it works, I hope, with what you are trying to say here on your post. The full poem I am going to post on my own blog. a.l. jennifer

there is always
too much
it is happening
all the time
too much
happening

little children
dying
bigger people
crying
crying
for the ones
who have no life
left to live
their time is stolen
ripped away
from them
when all
they were
thinking about
was Santa Claus
Christmas trees
presents
cookies
grandparents
with love

An amazing work of literary genius. Thank you Niamh for capturing so well, the tragedy that has been placed in our midst through your beautiful words. Our hearts and prayers go out to those who are in need of strength, love, and support.

Thank you, Patricia for your kindness. I could not speak when I heard of it…only feel as a grandmother/idealist/campaigner…I felt like pulling down the sky and dipping out of remaining part of the human race.

To be sure you received this I copied what I wrote on fb. “Your gift Niamh to put into words what is breaking the hearts of those directly involved in this tragedy is beyond the pale of gifted. I can feel the pain and it breaks my heart, also. There are too many broken hearts. Mending sometimes is not possible but one has to attempt to heal. Losing someone so precious as a child who contained within them the future that you will never get to see unfold. It will never be except in an infinite imagination. Thank you for your sensitive and pointed words. a.l. j.k. ps. you went to the depth of your soul to write this. I can feel it. <3

many thanks, Jennifer…but isn’t it the task of the poet to express the inexpressible, to capture the poignant, to speak to the many. To say, “heartfelt sympathies,” “sorry,” etc., is not enough to express the profound grief we all feel at such deaths as these. Those little ones belong to us all. They leave a hole in the world that we all feel. Ranting and raving about the free use of guns does no good. We are not heard. Maybe, this is the only way we can speak to soul and hope our pleas to do something about guns is felt rather than received with argumentative minds.

We excavate the depths to search for the unknown and unseen, then find a way to express what we discover, even giving the subconscious and unconscious a voice. Always the question why, like a 2 or 3 year old, never really getting even close to uncovering a true and complete answer or answers. One does not exist. What I am about to write may sound inappropriate but the death of these precious ones is like creating a hole in the “force.” It sends out a rippling effect that touches everyone and everything. Grief and mourning is what is alive in our hearts. Arguing about laws controlling violent weapons seems almost cold and unfeeling. It’s a repression of ones’ true nature not to react with emotions of sadness and shock. It is a diversion from reacting from within ones heart and soul. We all need to go through all the levels of grief to work through such a tragedy. Love for those closest to the devastation need to know that they have our support, compassion and empathy to help with their healing and our own. peace, jennifer

Niamh, would you correct this line: It’s a repression of ones’ true nature to react with emotions of sadness and shock. (to read) It’s a repression of one’s true nature to not react with emotions of sadness and shock. (thanks, jen…7 lines from bottom of comment.)

This is sad, but well said. :( I strangely think the “gun made of guns” is interesting. Well put together. It has been a bad week. Bad things have happened. On Tuesday someone tried to abduct a kid from my school who was walking home. It made our whole town scared (we live in a VERY small town). The school shooting in another small town makes me scared. You poem was well said.